6 months ago, 6 months to go.

6 months from today Tyler and I are getting married! Or technically yesterday because it is after midnight, but that is not the point. 6 months usually seems like a long time to me. It doesn't now. Let me tell you something about Tyler and I - he is patient, I am not. I have had to wait for a lot of things. Tyler and I had a weird relationship in high school. God really did us a huge favor by never letting things be right for us to date in high school. He definitely knew that we would mess things up if we did things on our own time. There were some pretty big periods of waiting in our relationship, but it was all for the best.

One thing that I appreciate so much about Tyler is that he thinks God's time is the most important time. He has honored God's plan for when things happen for us. While I hated most of it because of my wonderful dose of impatience, it has always been best. He was right all along that when things actually did happen- it would be worth it! It has been worth it. We have learned more about each other this past semester than ever before. All of the lessons we have learned this semester were much needed and so important to us moving forward. I am so proud of who he is. I am proud of what he values most, and that is God's plan. I am so lucky to have someone who puts God first.

So where was I 6 months ago? Besides not engaged =)

6 months ago on June 12, 2009 I was in Cambodia. I was currently spending my time at Rapha House loving on those girls. I was hugging them, playing with them, laughing with them, etc. I was being loved, hugged, and laughed at all in the process. Especially as I tried to speak their language to them =). Funnily enough, the language of hugs, kisses, and holding their hands spoke enough.

It's crazy to think that was 6 months ago. In some ways it feels like it was 6 years ago. So much has changed in my life since then. The most obvious change is that I am engaged now. That's a pretty big difference. I have changed. I have taken on more responsibility at College Heights. I decided to invest more by leading a d-group. I have dealt with some other crazy things that have honestly taken over my mind since Cambodia.

Today I spent just a couple of hours at the Rapha House gallery. They were having an Open House for Christmas. It was a lot of fun to be a part of. It was the first real opportunity I had to volunteer and I am really glad I did. All week I was kind of in a mood. I was pretty down, not really for any good reason. The week before finals is always stressful. So today I woke up and was kind of feeling better. But being at Rapha House changed my day. It's so hard to me to go in to the gallery and come out with the same mood I had before. Rapha House and my little sisters there have changed my life forever. I don't know how many people I said that to today. I mean it. I am forever changed because of them. They are forever changed because of the hope of Jesus Christ. I love that.

There was a video playing. It was a pretty recent thing. I am not sure when it was taken, but it was taken since I had been there. It was crazy how different some of the girls looked. The youngest girls in particular. They were so young and so happy when I was there, and not a lot had changed. They were still beautiful little girls and laughing constantly. I tried to describe these girls to some visitors in the gallery but it's like, near impossible to relay how beautiful, inside and out, these girls are. It's impossible to relay to you the incredible impact they have on any life that comes in contact with them. Those girls have a special place in my heart. It's really hard to think that it's been 6 months since I have hugged them, kissed them on the forehead, held their hand, played with their hair, signed "I love you", and watched one sister in particular stand outside my window on the bus waving and pressing her hand opposite of mine on the cold glass. Saying goodbye to them was one of the hardest nights of my life so far. That whole experience, the last hugs, watching them out the window, and driving away, is so fresh. But I know that I will get the experience of reconnecting with them someday. I miss them. I know they love and miss me.

For anyone who has ever prayed for a girl at Rapha House, I just want you to know that they love you. They pray for you too. They are so thankful for you. I mean this. If you showed up on that piece of land today, they would celebrate you. They love you. They would change your life if you ever got the chance to meet them. Just like you would change theirs.

It's still crazy how the girls that have been through the worst lifestyle, not by choice, are the most joyful girls I have ever met. It still amazes me to think about. Today I kind of re-lived that moment of my first steps into the gate at Rapha. It gives me chills and tears to think about. To be surrounded by victims of sex-trafficking and being celebrated by them is incredible. Really, just the fact that they celebrate life is incredible.

I can't wait to see how my life changes in the next 6 months. I have a feeling it's going to be pretty good =).